Flying Forever
by Kendra1996
Summary: What if Bella had stayed behind in Eclipse when they went to fight Victoria? And what if there are more than two species of Immortals? What if there's a new type of humane, but not human, species - not vampire, not werewolf - and Bella...
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight series. **

**OK, so in this story, Bella does not get to go with the vamps and werewolves to fight Victoria, she gets left behind. Edward leaves, and then, when she's left alone wondering how the war is going . . .**

**So this is what the whole story revolves around – what if vampires and werewolves **_**weren't**_** the only non-humans? What if there was another species too? What if Bella… (hint) :) **

Chapter One

"Love . . ." Edward's honey-smooth voice sounded harsher than usual, strained. His sweet breath fanned my face, disorienting and hypnotizing. His eyes were dark.

"I'll be fine," I mumbled, looking away from his gentle, probing gaze. "I'm not that pathetic."

Cool, hard fingers touched the edge of my jaw tenderly, tilting it up. I met his eyes uncomfortably.

He leaned his forehead against my – by comparison – warm one, staring deep into my chocolate-brown irises.

"We'll be quick," he breathed. I cringed. "Quick and careful. We'll take care of the newborns and I'll run back to you. You won't have time to miss me."

I swallowed.

He closed his eyes for one brief, agonizing moment. "Please, love," he begged. "Please."

"I'll be OK," I muttered again. "Really. Go rip up Victoria for me."

He smiled a sad, strange little smile. The smile did not reach his eyes. On more time, his perfect lips brushed mine softly.

"Goodbye," he whispered.

And then he was gone, his hand ripped from my grasp in less than a second. Wind rushed coldly into my room, through the now-open window.

I did not get up to close the window. My eyelids closed slowly over my tearless eyes. Grief and pain warred and tore my heart, emotion to great for tears, even.

* * *

The tick-tocking of the clock, the howl of the wind, and the shredding of my heart was all I could hear. Night surrounded me like a hushing blanket. My blind eyes couldn't see the stars or the moon or any form of light at all.

_He'll be back soon. He's a good fighter. He won't be hurt. He'll be back._

_He'll be back soon. Soon._

Those thoughts were the only kind I was capable of. They circled slowly around and around my head, monotonous and boring and yet so, so painful.

It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair. How I was forced to sit here in my cold room, waiting for my soldier to come home from the fight. What did I care that it was too dangerous to be with him up there in the north, as the mortal enemies battled? As the newborns lost control? Danger – danger was a thousand times better than this, this waiting. This agonizing, torturous waiting.

My heart convulsed. What if a newborn got the better of Edward? What if Victoria snuck up on him in the heat of the battle? What if . . . what if . . .

I was curled up on my bed, my legs brought up to my chest. My room was getting colder and colder. Frigid air seeped in through my window. My fingers, tightly clamped over my knees, were turning blue and purple.

I could have closed the window. I could have, but I didn't.

* * *

And as the ticking of the clock progressed, my fears became more selfish.

He'd said the battle would be over as quickly as possible. What if the battle was already won? If they'd won it a long time ago? And then, as he brought Victoria down, maybe he'd decided that there was no point in going back to his weak human, the human who was too vulnerable and pathetic to come and fight, the human who needed such protection that it placed all his family in danger. Maybe he'd just left . . . Perhaps he'd simply left and was not coming back. . . .

No. I closed my eyelids tighter. No. He'd promised so many times. No.

_He'll be back soon. He'll be back soon._

The sound of my terrified heart, thundering away, filled the entire room. My eyes remained dry. I'd long ago left the stage of grief when tears were a comfort.

I swallowed. Get a grip, wuss, I told myself sternly. Get a grip.

I wanted to help him. I needed to help him. I'd never needed to help someone and fight alongside him as I needed to fight alongside Edward right now.

But who was I kidding, really? How could I, a human, help?

I was just a human. Nothing special. Just a human.

Never before in my life had I wished I was not a human. If I were a werewolf I'd be able to run and tear the newborns to pieces. If I were a vampire I'd be able to do the same. And I would never need to hide like a coward behind the skirts of stronger, more powerful people, because I'd be able to protect myself.

Something pricked my back, the place between my shoulder blades. I rolled my shoulders and ignored it, staring at my icy hands.

Was he alive right now? Or was he a pile of ashes?

The pricking in my back was concentrated now. It became more of an insistent, painful burn. I was hardly aware of it, though.

And what of Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie, and Carlisle and Esme, and Jake and Embry and Quil and Sam? Were they OK right now as well, or were they losing? I felt a stab of guilt for not thinking of them till now, but Edward . . .

_Edward_. When was he coming back?

The sting in my back spread. It was harder to ignore now. The irritating fire bothered the sensitive skin, but it felt more like the fire was inside than outside.

I frowned, twisting around to touch my back. Had any mosquitoes or something flown in through the window? That seemed unlikely – I had never encountered mosquitoes here in Forks before.

The moment my fingers touched the cloth-covered skin, the fire increased. My frown deepening, I slid off the bed to check on the spot between my shoulder blades in the bathroom.

But I wasn't really angry. How could I be? This was a distraction from my obsessive longing and wishful thinking. There was no point in hoping to help Edward and his family and the werewolves right now . . . but I wanted, no – _needed_ to . . .

As I thought that, the stinging raged. My entire back was on fire now, and it had spread to the nape of my neck and my stomach, wrapping around my hips. I cringed as it touched more sensitive spots.

Flipping the light switch on in the little bathroom, I lifted my shirt off. I reached over and picked up the small mirror laying on the counter, and turned around with the mirror in my hand, my back to the large mirror on the wall. I angled the little silver object in my hands so I could see the reflection of my back.

It showed nothing but smooth pale skin, unblemished by any stings or scratches. I didn't understand – was this fire internal? This _was_ serious . . . but what was it?

And then I was abruptly disgusted by myself. Here I was, worrying about some silly little pain, while the vampires and the werewolves were out there risking their lives for me. For all I knew they no longer _had_ lives to risk.

I mentally cringed away from that thought. No. They were good fighters, all of them. They would live. And then return.

_He'll be back soon._

Damn it! If only I could help!

And with frightening suddenness, the stinging ripped through my torso, and down my legs and feet and up to the top of my head. It was everywhere, even in the tips of my fingers, on the edge of my nose, in my calves and my face and my whole body.

With a cry of shock and pain, I collapsed as my knees gave way. The world swam before my blurry eyes. The last thing I remember was my head hitting the icy floor; and then I closed my eyes in unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight series.**

**Hey!! So sorry for the delay, busy week :(**

**You guys are the best – a lot of you reviewed and that only made me want to write more. Thanks everyone! Just out of curiosity, how many of you guessed what Bella's becoming before you read this chapter? There were a couple clues . . .**

**So this chapter may also seem a little slow, but that's because I need Bella to think things through a little.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Two

The feeling began to return slowly. Very, very slowly. The darkness over my eyelids slipped away too; and gradually, I regained consciousness.

I opened my eyes carefully, staring at the ceiling. I didn't dare twitch a finger for several long moments, afraid the ferocious pain would return.

But nothing happened.

Cautiously, I sat up. Something rustled. Then, when still nothing happened, I got to my feet. My eyes promptly strayed to the large mirror on the wall.

I felt my whole body go ice-cold the second I saw my reflection; with a yell of shock, I jerked backwards, the back of my knees crashing with the rim of the bath. I tumbled on my back, my hands instinctively lowered to catch my fall.

As my back hit the floor, I heard that same rustling.

Oh no. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't _possible_. It wasn't . . .

_You accepted the existence of vampires so easily_, a voice whispered through my mind. _And you accepted the existence of werewolves as well, even if it took you a little longer. Why do you refuse to accept this?_

_Why do you refuse to accept that there is a pair of wings attached to your back?_

_But this is different_, I argued with myself. _This is happening to _me_!!_

The little voice spoke up again. _That makes it all the more easy to accept, since the proof is right before your eyes._

Vampires exist. Werewolves exist. So why shouldn't faeries exist?

Hesitantly, I got back to my feet and approached the mirror. My reflection stared back at me, pale and wide-eyed.

It was familiar – and yet so very different.

My hair was still long and mahogany. My eyes were still wide and chocolate-brown. My skin was still porcelain pale. My lips were still a little too full for my face.

But my hair was so much _glossier_ than usual, gleaming and heavy. It looked thicker and longer than usual, hanging down my back like a dark curtain.

And my eyes were a little bigger than before. Not big in the popping, unattractive way, but large in the beautiful, gentle way. They seemed to dominate my face, dark and mysterious and ringed by a thick fringe of long lashes.

My skin seemed to glow with its own inner light. Its translucent quality seemed heightened and made more lovely, not the unhealthy chalk-white of before.

Those weren't quite the strangest changes, though. Looking down at my body, I noticed that it seemed slimmer, and at the same time curvier, than before. And, glancing back up at my reflection, I caught sight of the most startling difference, the one I had noticed first but was too chicken to think about.

Growing out of the dent between my shoulder blades, waving softly in a nonexistent breeze, shining in the florescent light, was a pair of large wings.

They were tinged the darkest black around the edges, but the rest was a golden hue, pale and dark at the same time, topaz, like the color of Edward's eyes. Thin, spidery veins of white snaked all through the golden, snow white.

I touched one wing gently, staring. What brought this on? Humans became vampires when they were bitten. Humans became werewolves when they lost control of their tempers, and then they had to be direct descendants of the werewolves as well. . . .

What made humans turn faeries? Was it at a certain age? Somehow, I doubted it. Was it genetic, like the werewolves? Well, of course, only certain humans were faeries, only a few had it in their blood. Maybe I was the first one. But what triggered it?

Perhaps it was a strong feeling.

What had I been feeling before I'd blacked out? I'd been . . . desperate. No, not desperate, but desperate to help – wishing I was stronger and faster so I could help. Wishing I wasn't human.

Was that it? So you turned into a faerie when you wanted to be _more_ . . . _Oh_! No, you turned into a faerie when you needed to. It was convenient . . . I'd never detested being human before, not really.

But was being . . . this . . . really helpful? I looked once more down at myself. It didn't look particularly strong. My skin wasn't rock-hard like a vampire's and I wasn't huge like a werewolf. I actually looked more fragile – more, of course, like a faerie.

_Faerie_. It sounded strange in my head. Even stranger to think of myself as one.

But I didn't _feel_ fragile. I didn't feel weak at all. I felt _wonderful_. As light as air – even if my heart still seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. I could feel my blood coursing through my body, my entire being tingling with this strange new magic that even I realized was suddenly inside me. The pain of transformation was completely gone now, replaced with a state of bliss so extreme it was surreal.

So if I felt strong, was I? Even if I didn't look it?

Hopefully, I turned to the mirror. If I was as strong as a vampire, then I'd probably – hell, not probably, but definitely – be able to pry it off the wall.

I reached out with my slender, delicate-looking hands and grasped both sides of the mirror. My fingers tightened around it as I tugged with all my might.

Nothing happened.

I pulled harder, my knuckles turning white from the strain and sweat beading my forehead.

Still nothing happened. The mirror, glued to the wall, wouldn't budge. My hands flopped down to my sides, defeated.

A horrible disappointment bloomed in my chest. I wasn't strong. I was still as weak as any human – and I even looked weaker! I probably was.

What was the point of this, then?

But the desire to go and leave this prison, go to see Edward, at least to watch the fight and see if they were alright, was still a powerful ache. Even if I couldn't help, at least I would be able to satisfy my own longing.

Several hours ago, I would have said this was impossible. After all, how would I have been able to hike all the way to the battlefield in the dark – _me_? Definitely not.

But now, going by myself did not seem like such a bad idea.

After all, I could _fly_.

At least, I hoped so.

I turned around, opening the door of the bathroom to go back into my room. As I took a step, my foot tripped over thin air and I almost toppled forward. I managed to catch myself before I fell flat on myself.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud, though. Maybe this was the reason I was so unnaturally clumsy, because I'd been meant for the air all along.

I had, apparently, laughed too loudly. I heard Charlie's snoring pause for one moment, then pick up its steady rhythm again.

_Charlie_.

What was I thinking? By going to the fight I would be leaving Charlie again. And I didn't know how long I would be gone, anyhow. My poor dad had so much to deal with right now, and I had already caused him so many almost-heart attacks. He'd probably crack for good if I disappeared for another three days again.

Charlie or Edward?

It wasn't a difficult answer. The choice was painful, and my heart gave a stutter, but the answer had been there for a long time now. It had existed for a few years now, and it had overruled everything else. Though I loved my dad, the answer was clear. Maybe not for my morals – after all, Charlie was my _father_ – but it was clear for my heart, and that was all that mattered.

Edward. He had always been, and always would be, my choice.

As I made my way to the open window, with the icy air seeping in, I felt even more uncoordinated than usual. But that thought didn't bother me so much anymore – because I knew that I would be so much more graceful up in the air.

**Hope you liked it! Nothing really happened, but I think there will be action in the next chapter or the one after. Again, sorry for the long delay. Review and tell me what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight Series.**

**Hey!! Here's chapter three. In case any of you are wondering, Bella's bones have become hollow. If they weren't then her wings certainly wouldn't be able to carry her, just like with any bird. There are a couple other changes, but I won't mention them now since Bella will figure them out later. But I wanted to say this because I'm not sure if I'll actually mention the hollow bones in the story, but I want you to know about it anyhow.**

**Long A/N . . . anyway, hope you like it! Thank all you guys so much for all the encouraging reviews!  
**

Chapter Three

_. . . As I made my way to the window, I felt even more uncoordinated than usual. But that thought didn't bother me so much anymore – because I knew that I would be so much more graceful up in the air. . . ._

I took a deep, steadying breath before I swung one leg over the window sill. It hung out, slender and painfully breakable, swinging slightly. In the dark night the ivory skin gleamed.

Taking another deep breath, I swung out my other leg. Now I was sitting on the window sill with both legs hanging over the precarious two-story drop. I knew the drop wouldn't necessarily kill me if I fell, but that didn't mean I wouldn't break most of the bones in my body.

Lucky Edward. Lucky vampires. They didn't have to worry about things like this.

I stared at my swinging legs for a moment, and then decided this wasn't the best way to start out. I maneuvered my body for several moments until I was on my knees, my legs tucked beneath me. My white-knuckled hands gripped the window frame very tightly on both sides.

Slowly and carefully, I rose, so I was crouched, sitting on heels. My heart was beating a thousand times a minute.

Behind me, my wings rustled, almost as if they could sense that I was about to attempt flight. They were just small enough to fight through the window.

It was now or never.

I swallowed – and leaped out.

The trees, the night, the forest – it all hung before me for one endless, ethereal moment. My hair billowed out behind me in the wind, the cold caressing my skin, as I hung in midair for a millisecond.

Then I was falling. The adrenaline pulsing through me allowed me to absorb everything quickly, and I dimly realized that the ground was suddenly much closer to me then before.

I shouldn't have worried. Instinct is immediate and never, ever wrong – and I suppose the first instinct of a faerie is flight. My human side was screaming and panicking, sure that I was going to fall and sure that pain was coming – but my faerie blood wasn't so anxious. Before I knew what was happening, my brilliant wings, shining even in the darkness, had caught the wind.

Effortlessly, easily, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, my wings beat, catching the wind currents – currents I had never known existed before – and propelling my light body up through the night.

I was _flying_.

It was clear, cool night. The moon shone brightly from the cloudless, black sky. Its silver light spilled over the forest beneath me, giving the atmosphere a mysterious, romantic feel.

I hovered above the forest, gazing at the tops of the trees. Somewhere in the middle of the dense canopy, I could see a slight gap. Was that the Edward's clearing?

But that didn't particularly matter anyhow, whether it was our clearing or not. The real question was where was the fight?

Damn it. Edward had never told me where they would battle – just that it would be somewhere cold, up north. I hadn't asked, because just the subject itself reduced me to silence and terror.

Abruptly it occurred to me that under normal circumstances I would never be able to see that little gap in the trees anyway. And then – I looked closer, and realized that, yes, I could see the individual branches and leaves, even though I was hovering some twenty-thirty feet above them. I could the details _easily,_ without even straining my eyes.

In fact, how was it that I could see anything at all right now? It was nighttime.

With a jolt, I understood that my eyesight had improved. And – not just my eyesight, but my other senses as well. Yes, I could hear them now – the quiet sounds of the forest animals, the faint whoosh of wind, and – impossibly – Charlie's snoring, even though I was so much farther away now than before.

How had I not noticed this from the start? Well, I suppose I had just been so occupied, so worried . . . or maybe it was because my senses were developing gradually.

This new realization – that there were advantages to being a faerie, however slight – brought a smile to my face.

Revived and more hopeful, I flew slowly forward. The act was so effortless I was almost surprised that I had been so terrified of it at the beginning.

I decided that I would simply cruise around and try to hear the sounds of the battle. Or see it, if they were fighting in a clearing.

And that's what I did. Despite my worries, the quiet, peaceful night relaxed me – how could it not? All the same, I didn't relax entirely – I couldn't. My thoughts didn't allow me to.

After a while, cruising slowly began to seem boring.

I was more confident now. It was clear to me that flight same naturally to faeries. I began to fly faster.

And faster and faster.

It was incredibly exhilarating. The wind rushed by me as I sped at a hundred miles an hour in the dark night. It felt like I was the only being in the world at the moment, and I could do anything I wanted because everyone was asleep.

I wondered if I could fly as fast as Edward ran. As fast as Jacob ran.

Only one way to find out, I thought with a tight grin. Besides, maybe they'd decided to fight the newborns far away and this way I'd get to the battleground much more quickly.

It soon became evident that I _could_ fly as fast as Edward and Jacob. Faster ever. I knew, if a human were watching me right now, they wouldn't see anything – I would be so fast I'd seem invisible. It was absolutely thrilling.

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks, only now absorbing what I had thought. Strange, how I already thought of people as _humans_ – just like that. Like I had already accepted that I was _not_ human.

Exhilarated and flushed, I flipped upside down and flew like a roller coaster, completing loop-de-loops as easily as though I had been doing it for years. Time flew by – no pun intended – as I played around in the air (I hadn't forgotten my mission to find Edward and the newborns and werewolves, but that didn't mean I couldn't explore my newfound powers (it sounded so cheesy!) in the meantime).

And then, from far away, I heard the faint screech of a battle cry. It was followed by a feral, enraged roar.

I almost fell out of the air, but caught myself just in time before I fell into the forest.

There it was! I couldn't see them, but I could hear them – and I could tell that they were battling outside of the forest, in the ice-and-snow-covered region even farther north. I hadn't realized how far I had drifted in my blissful midair play.

All calm I had established beforehand fled. It was replaced by the familiar panic. What if . . . What if . . .

Well, it was evident that the fight had not ended; Edward had not left. But this meant that there was still that overwhelming chance of his demise.

No, no, no. But I knew, if given a choice, I would rather the fight were finished, and he had left, and all chance of his end were gone, rather than he stay loyal to me – and out of that loyalty, he were to die.

My breath coming quick and fast and labored, I sped toward the sounds of the battle. Almost unconsciously, I drifted upwards as well – because strangely enough, the higher I was, the safer I felt.

I guess it was a faerie thing.

I must have been over a thousand feet high when I finally caught sight of the battle.


End file.
